Xiaohong Liu

Texas A&M University

Biography

Dr. Xiaohong Liu is the Reta A. Haynes Chair in Geosciences and a Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University. Dr. Liu was a tenured professor and Wyoming Excellence Chair in Climate Science at the University of Wyoming (2013-2019) and a senior research scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (2006-2013). Dr. Liu obtained his B.S. (1986), M.S. (1989), and Ph.D. (1992) from Nanjing University, and conducted his post-doctoral research (2000-2001) at University of Michigan.
Dr. Liu is an internationally-known scientist in the fields of aerosol modeling and aerosol-cloud interactions, and has made significant contributions to the understanding of aerosol effects on clouds, especially on cold cirrus and mixed-phase clouds.  He is one of the leading developers of aerosol and aerosol-cloud interaction models which have been adopted by major Earth System Models and used in Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports. During his career, he has published more than 270 peer-reviewed papers with a total number of citations over 30,000 (Google Scholar) and over 20,000 (Web of Science). 
He won many awards and honors, including a member of “Highly Cited Researchers” by Thomson-Reuters (2014-2018), WMO Young Scientist Award (2001), Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow (1996), a Fellow of AAAS (2022), AGU (2023), and AMS (2024), and Texas A&M University-Level Distinguished Achievement Award for Research (2025).

Abstract: Aerosols in Earth System Modeling: Progress, Challenges, and Climate Impacts

Atmospheric aerosols play a key role in the Earth’s system by interacting with atmospheric chemistry, radiation, clouds, and biogeochemistry, thereby affecting air quality, climate, hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. However, current Earth system models (ESMs) are still associated with large aerosol biases. In this talk, I will introduce the Modal Aerosol Module (MAM) and aerosol-cloud interaction schemes adopted in several leading ESMs, which I have been playing a key role in developing since 2006. I will then highlight two main aspects of my work with the goals to reduce the uncertainties of aerosol radiative forcing and climate impacts: (1) continuous improvement of the MAM related to black carbon, brown carbon, dust, wildfire smoke, nitrate, and stratospheric volcanic aerosol; and (2) ice nucleation and secondary ice production in mixed-phase clouds, and their implications for cloud feedbacks and climate sensitivity. Finally, I will talk about some remaining challenges in aerosol modeling in ESMs.